Portsmouth make announcement ahead of Derby County match
Portsmouth could have already guaranteed their Championship safety by the time they face Derby County on 12 April.
John Mousinho‘s side welcome Derby to Fratton Park in little under a month’s time for their third-last home game of the season, coming straight after trips to Millwall and Coventry City next month.
Pompey first return to action after the upcoming international break with a home match against Blackburn, having seen their gap to the bottom three shrink from 10 points to just four in the last week.
While four teams still separate 17th-placed Portsmouth from the final relegation place, Mousinho will be keen to ensure his side have pulled further clear by the time of Derby’s visit midway through next month.
Portsmouth release Derby details ahead of Fratton Park visit
Fratton Park helped make the difference for Portsmouth in their 1-0 win over Championship leaders Leeds United last weekend, and Pompey will hope the Old Girl is packed for their final four home games.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GD | Points |
| 17 | Portsmouth | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | –15 | 42 |
| 18 | Oxford United | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | –16 | 42 |
| 19 | Hull City | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | –8 | 41 |
| 20 | Stoke City | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | –14 | 39 |
| 21 | Cardiff City | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | –20 | 39 |
| 22 | Derby County | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | –11 | 38 |
Ahead of facing Derby in their third-last, Portsmouth have released details via their website on Sunday (16 March), with tickets going on sale to members and season ticket holders purchasing additional seats from 10am on Thursday (20 March).
Further tickets will then go on general sale from 10am on March 21, and supporters will have tickets sent out to them no earlier than one week before each fixture, and are non-refundable.
Portsmouth hoping to finish strong despite fall-off in form
A matter of days ago, Pompey appeared to be home and hosed in their battle for Championship survival; moving 10 points clear of the drop zone with their victory over Leeds at Fratton Park on 9 March.
That victory was Portsmouth’s fourth in from five matches, but back-to-back 2-1 losses to Plymouth and Preston in the two games since have allowed the bottom three sides, and others, to close the gap.
The gap sits at four points heading into the international break with another three matches to go before Portsmouth face Derby on 12 April, and Mousinho’s side will be looking to have the job done by then.
Defeats to 23rd-placed Luton and rock-bottom Plymouth either side of their win over Leeds showed just how unpredictable the Championship can be, but Pompey are in no mood to leave their fate up to chance.